Curator Talk: Coins Ritual and Cultural Exchange in Africa
Tue 10/21 • 12:30PM - 1:30PM PDT
What stories do coins carry beyond their economic value? In this online program, Ex-Change co-curator Carlee S. Forbes is joined by Professor Andrew Apter of UCLA Departments of History and Anthropology for a conversation about the role of coins, tokens, and counters in African cultural and ritual systems.
Drawing on the Fowler’s African collections and Apter’s scholarship on Yoruba ritual economies, the discussion will explore coins as conduits of memory, belief, and power. These objects transcend monetary function as they participate in spiritual, aesthetic, and historical narratives. Together, Forbes and Apter will consider how these small, everyday forms reflect vast networks of exchange, colonial histories, and symbolic meanings across time.